The human intervertebral disc comprises an outer or peripheral tendinous structure which encircles an inner gelatinous nucleus pulposus material. Loss of structural integrity in the disc results in a dehydration and degeneration of these tissues, which leads to a loss in function of the disc.
Chronic back pain as a result of the aforementioned degeneration is a common symptom in patients. Current treatments range from bed rest to highly invasive surgical procedures, including spinal fusion and total disc replacement. Further, pain may be mitigated and healthy physiologic function may be restored to the spine through the replacement or supplementation of nucleus pulposus tissue. The crosslinked hydrogels described herein may have application in such replacement or supplementation of nucleus pulposus tissue and other bioapplications.
Although polymeric compositions comprising a single polymer can be formulated to form solids, the resultant composition would have a total polymer concentration which is much higher than the embodiments of the present invention and also would not be injectable.